You work hard to create valuable content for your email subscribers, hoping your subject line will win them over and they will read your email.
But, your emails bounce back or end up in the spam folder.
The most likely reason? It has a bad IP reputation. Your IP address may be blacklisted, and hence, email servers are not accepting your emails, marking you as a spammer.
Is all hope lost? Not really. You can make use of IP blacklist removal tools and take the necessary steps to delist yourself. Let us walk you through the entire process.
What is an IP blacklist?
IP blacklist is a database that contains malicious IPs that send spam or unwanted emails to users. They are updated in real time to prevent spam emails. People hiding behind these IPs lack email etiquette. They send random emails, hoping someone will respond to them.
Email providers use IP blacklists to prevent spam emails from entering their mail servers.
Why is IP blacklisting important?
IP blacklisting plays a crucial role in email marketing.
It eliminates spammers who don’t provide quality content. So, you’ll have less number of people competing for your users’ attention. But it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
Even genuine email marketers like yourself can end up on these blacklists. So, you have to regularly check these IP blacklists and get your IP removed if it’s on one of those dreaded lists.
Or else, you’ll be seen as no different than the spammers, and all your hard work will go to waste. Your revenue will suffer, and you may be forced to believe that “Email marketing doesn’t work!”.
Reasons why IPs get blacklisted
There can be many reasons for an IP address to get blacklisted, here are some of them:
Spamming: Email recipients can mark your IP address as spam if you are sending unwanted bulk emails to them.
IP caught in a spam trap: A spam trap is an email address that a human does not actively use but is set up to catch spammers sending unsolicited emails. Getting caught in this can damage your email reputation, eventually getting you blacklisted.
Bad IP or sender reputation: Your IP address can develop a bad reputation when you get involved in malicious activities like sending spam or malware distribution. In the long run, your IP can get blacklisted as you are seen as a potential threat to the safety of others.
Hacked IP address: Hackers can use your IP address for illegal activities. This can get your IP blacklisted.
IP spoofing: This occurs when an attacker fakes his/her IP address to impersonate someone else on the internet to avoid getting caught. This can lead to blacklisting.
A sudden spike in email volume: When a large number of emails are sent in a short duration, it signals spamming behavior by email providers, thus leading to blacklisting.
When should you check if your IP is blacklisted?
Check your IP against the blacklists when:
Your emails frequently land in spam folders
Your bounce rate increases
You receive failure notifications
💡 Related guide: How to avoid email blacklisting?
So now that you know the consequences of blacklisting, let’s discuss how to get your IP removed from these blacklists.
How to remove your IP from IP blacklists
There are two strategies you can follow to remove your IP from IP blacklists. Let’s discuss both of them in detail.
1. Short-term strategy
Your short-term goal should be to get yourself delisted from these IP blacklists. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to proceed:
Step 1: Check if your IP is blacklisted. Make use of online tools like MXToolbox or Spamhaus to identify which blacklists your IP is listed on.
Step 2: Find out the reason for blacklisting and take immediate action to resolve it, such as securing your network or stopping unauthorized email campaigns
Step 3: Contact the blacklists and submit a reason as to why you think you’re innocent and do not deserve to be there. It typically involves filling out a form and proving that you've resolved the issue, if there was any.
The time taken to get your IP off the blacklist depends on the severity of the listing. However, to accelerate the removal process, you can present your case with supporting data and increase the chances of getting delisted quickly. All in all, the goal of blacklisting is not to stop you from sending emails but to catch the spammers.
2. Long-term strategy
The best way to deal with a disaster is to avoid it. So, to avoid getting blacklisted on these platforms, here are a few guidelines you can abide by:
Follow good email etiquette: Good email etiquette ensures that emails are professional, well-structured, and effective. Essentially, it is about sending emails that are tailored to enhance communication and professionalism.
Establish a sunset policy: Sunset policy refers to the practice of updating your email list and removing inactive subscribers. Hence, your recipients’ list remains active and engaged, leading to better relationships.
Build an email cadence: This refers to the frequency of sending emails to subscribers. A well-planned email cadence ensures that your messages are delivered consistently to your audience. Consistency in email frequency to different user segments will lead to maximum engagement and keep your users happy.
Monitor reputation: Use email reputation monitoring services like Sender Score to stay informed about your sender score and take preemptive action if necessary.
Educate users: Educate users on your network about best email practices to prevent unintentional spamming and ensure compliance with anti-spam laws.
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You should also authenticate your emails, use a verified email list, and segment your email list. Moreover, you should be mindful of the email content and add an unsubscribe link as well. You should use a static IP address, a valid PTR record and focus on improving your sender reputation. Lastly, use a secure email server and follow proper email etiquette. By combining these short-term actions with long-term strategies, you can effectively manage and prevent IP blacklisting issues in the future. This is also a part of the sender guidelines that were released by Yahoo and Google.
4 IP blacklist removal tools to use
If you are dealing with email deliverability concerns and you think your IP is blacklisted in one of the available blacklist databases, you can use one of the many free online tools to do a quick check. You can start by going to their website and entering your IP address. It will show you the status of your IP, depending on which you can take further action. Here is a list of some free tools which you can use:
Takeaways
IP blacklists aren’t necessarily your enemies, but you still need to check if you’ve accidentally become a victim of one of such blacklists. You’re unlikely to end up in one if you follow great email etiquette. Unfortunately, if you get blacklisted, you have to take action to resolve it quickly before things get out of hand.
One of the main reasons for ending up on such lists is having a bad IP reputation. It’s a number that ISPs and third-party blacklists provide. The higher the number, the better your email deliverability. To know more about evading this crisis, check out our guide on IP reputation.
